Toothless Love: The Stranger in Berk
by Kiyosaisei Ichimaru
Summary: A side-story to Toothless Love. Where Hiccup went that first afternoon in the past.


Just as Toothless often questioned his sanity, Hiccup tended to question sanity in general. Including his own. And one of these such times was the afternoon after Hiccup had found himself and two dragons in the past. What was he thinking? What had possessed him to think walking to Berk would be a good idea in any way, shape, or form? But it was too late to turn back. Returning empty-handed would make Toothless worry, not to mention there would be nothing to eat that night. So, Crispy sitting on his shoulder, Hiccup made his way through the familiar-but-not wilderness toward Berk.

"Well, Crispy, this is where you should head back… We're too close to the village now." Hiccup looked at his father's dragon as it flew back in the direction of the cove. Hiccup was now feeling strangely alone. No matter what, he usually had either Toothless or Crispy with him. But now, trapped in the past, a dragon by his side would all but mark him for death.

With thoughts of the Vikings, Hiccup stepped into the village and limped his way toward the docks. As he went, Vikings froze and stared at him. Strangers were not unheard of, but none were so stick-thin as this one, nor did they enter the village from the forest. And most had both their legs.

This stranger was an oddity.

And so the villagers followed the stranger to the docks. Hiccup paid it no notice. The only things on the whole walk that made him stop were the pains in his stump from walking so much on his metal leg and, closer to the docks, the sight of Stoick and younger-Hiccup. But Hiccup continued and then struck up a bargain with the fish monger.

* * *

The tiny Viking boy with the longish name of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, stared at the stranger with wonder in his eyes. This stranger held himself like a Viking hero, but he was small in comparison to even the teenage Vikings in the village. It was a wondrous thing to such a small four year old. Snotlout and the twins told him he could never be a Viking, because he was so tiny. Astrid would beat him up for messing up in weapon training. Fishlegs was a dork, but he was big, so he ignored Little Hiccup in favor of trying to be friends with the others.

But if Little Hiccup could be like the stranger…

Little Hiccup charged away from Stoick and tackled the stranger, successfully knocking the thin Viking to the ground and causing the fish monger to laugh heartily.

"Well, Stoick, seems that young Hiccup could be a Viking after all! It just takes a stranger to do it!"

Stoick eyed the two sprawled out on the ground and nodded once, "Stranger! What's your name?"

The teen looked up at Stoick instantly, setting Little Hiccup aside and climbing to his feet, "Me? Er… Weaselsneeze the… Skinny."

Stoick nodded, taking the hesitation to be embarrassment at his own name, "Well then, Weaselsneeze, I'll offer you a deal. I guessing you landed on one of the other shores by mistake and you're looking for supplies. If you help Spitelout watch my son while I deal with repairs, I'll give you an entire basket of fish, and a fishing pole to boot."

The newly dubbed 'Weaselsneeze' looked over Stoick, and then over the larger teenage Viking with the beginnings of a mustache before nodding in a slightly resigned fashion, "…Deal."

Moments after saying deal, Weaselsneeze found Little Hiccup pressed into his arms as spite lout dragged him away.

"Listen up, skinny. Your job is to keep Hiccup occupied so that our leader, Stoick the Vast, can concentrate on repairs from last night's raid. You need to keep him away from Gobber the Blech- he's the blacksmith- and you can't let my brother Snotlout or any of the other runts pick on him. Got it?"

Weaselsneeze nodded and Spitelout charged away, presumably to help with repairs himself. Little Hiccup stared up at his new babysitter and frowned, kicking him before managing to scurry off. This stranger had to teach him to be a Viking, no matter what!

* * *

Hiccup spent the rest of the afternoon giving in to his younger counterparts demands at being taught how to be a Viking, but in the end he managed to deliver Little Hiccup back to Stoick with a few scratches and was given the basket of fish.

Before leaving to return to feed the dragons who were no doubt wondering where he was, however, Hiccup looked his younger self in the eyes and stated with all the conviction of a true Viking hero, "You'll make everyone proud someday."

And watching the stranger leave, Little Hiccup couldn't help but doubt it. But he also could not stop believing it.

* * *

In the years following the month on Berk where the stranger visited daily and then vanished during the largest dragon raid the Vikings of Berk ever knew, the stranger became a legend. It came to be said that the stranger was the spirit of a Viking youth, who wandered the forest and helped lost travelers. It also came to be said that he was a one-time evil spirit who had been given rest- some way or another- during the attack.

Only Stoick and Gobbeer noticed that the stranger calling himself 'Weaselsneeze the Skinny' looked a lot like Hiccup, and that the dragon and shadow that had disappeared with the stranger that night were suspiciously similar to his little Terror and Toothless.

And when they fit Hiccup with his metal leg after the battle with the Queen of the Dragon Nest, their suspicions were confirmed. Stoick's son was the stranger who had inspired Hiccup to try so hard to be a Viking, and ultimately to shoot the Night Fury out of the sky. It had to be some sort of paradox- in this case one by the name of Fate.

They did not panic when Hiccup, Toothless, and Crispy disappeared, because they knew exactly where the three were.

* * *

This is a side-story to 'Toothless Love' showing where Hiccup went that first afternoon in the past. Chapter nine of 'Toothless Love' will be up tomorrow.

I'm not sure how well it is written, but I still hope you like knowing where he went.

How To Train Your Dragon is copyright of Disney and Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell. In other words...

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon.  
**


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